From what I've seen and heard, AP has fully cooperated with the authorities and has not lied about a single thing and is accepting responsibility. I've been spanked with wooden spoons plenty of times, but never a switch. He said his dad did it to him, and I don't doubt that at all, but times have changed and now corporal punishment is much less accepted (for better or for worse). Seeing the pictures, it looks like AP went a bit too far, and I read that he texted the mother saying something like "I gave him 5 extra licks and he didn't cry, kid's tough as nails". He didn't even know the damage he was inflicting, and therein lies the problem. This was not a malevolent crime, there is no pattern of abuse, and I don't see how the courts throw the book at him for this, but I guarantee the NFL will use this and make an example of him, unfortunately, because of all their recent ridiculous blunders.
Kudos to the Vikings for doing the right things, though. Rather than let his status for Sunday hang in the balance, thereby allowing the media talking heads to focus on whether he plays and detracting from the real story, they took the step to deactivate him. Of course, the first year since he's gotten into the league that I actually got him in a fantasy league, this happens. OH SHIT I JUST DID THE SAME TH